Tunis women’s forum seeks to tackle social barriers

TUNIS — Arab women activists and feminists on Monday stressed the need to address women’s causes in an unconventional manner to ensure real change in their societies.

Twenty-five women from various parts of the Arab world are attending a feminist forum in Tunis for three days, which is being organised by the Oxfam Office in Tunis.

The aim of the forum, according to a statement by Oxfam, is to exchange ideas and experiences within the women’s movement in order to tackle social barriers that are contributing to gender-based violence.

Another aim is to revise and revisit previous and current campaigns to discuss necessary changes to ensure the success and continuation of such movements, according to the statement.

The meeting also aims at discovering new and unconventional methods of collaboration within the women’s movement in the Arab world to support local activism, the statement said.

“The plan is to create new methods and ideas to challenge the thinking and approach of the women’s movements’ work to meet the latest advancements and changes our societies are facing,” said the organisers.

The ultimate aim is to empower the women’s movement in the Arab world and to focus on creating a clear and sustainable vision that has a positive impact on people’s lives, the organisers added.

 During the first day’s sessions, the participants discussed several hindrances to the advancement of women, such as early marriages, the negative role of the media in addressing women’s issues via the spread of rumours and hate speech against women and certain negative terminology that is still being used about women in the Arab world.

Another important topic was the citizenship laws that continue to discriminate against women in several Arab countries because they prevent women who are not married to men from their own nationalities from passing on their nationalities to their spouses and children.